Kentucky bluegrass

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky bluegrass having a good level of disease resistance, excellent turf performance and excellent seed yield.

BACKGROUND

Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156 which issued on May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186 which issued on May 23, 1972 and U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336 which issued on Nov. 28, 1978.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis which has been designated Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass.

Ba 61-91 plant material originated as one of several spaced plants at Marysville, Ohio and seed of Ba 61-91 was produced first at Marysville, Ohio, then Salem and Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf for performance evaluation trials.

Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass reproduces asexually both apomictically and vegetatively; i.e., by tillers and rhizomes. All asexually reproduced Ba 61-91 offspring appear to show complete conformity with the mother plant.

Ba 61-91 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a good level of resistance to Helminthosporium spp., Ustilago striiformis, Fusarium roseum, Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, Puccinia graminis, Corticium spp., Rhizoctonia spp., and Pythium spp. It has a desirable dark green color and produces a good, dense turf that persists over a wide range of environmental conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a photograph of Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass plant after anthesis at Gervais, Oreg.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass plant in the vegetative stage including the extensive root and rhizome system;

FIG. 3 is a photograph of Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass panicle; and

FIG. 4 is a photograph of Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass seed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The morphological characteristics of Ba 61-91 and other commercially available bluegrass varieties are compared in Table 1.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological comparison of Ba 61-91 and other                                 bluegrass varieties at Gervals, Oregon                                         ______________________________________                                         Floret     Spikelet                                                            Length     Length   Glume Length (mm)                                                                            Mature Plant                                 Variety                                                                               (mm)    (mm)     Glume 1                                                                               Glume 2                                                                               Height (cm)                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                              3.95    5.52     2.87   3.13   46.5                                     Baron  3.17    4.16     2.55   2.90   60.7                                     Merion 2.72    4.56     2.51   2.76   62.7                                     Merit  3.43    4.73     2.67   3.02   72.0                                     Newport                                                                               3.46    5.42     3.21   3.60   73.8                                     Victa  3.30    4.48     2.72   3.05   64.0                                     LSD(.05)                                                                              0.35    0.17     0.11   0.10   7.9                                      ______________________________________                                                       Panicle                                                                              Peduncle Flagleaf                                                  No. of Whorls                                                                              Length  Length Length                                                                               Width                                 Variety per Panicle (cm)    (cm)   (cm)  (mm)                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                               10.0        6.9     35.8   3.4   3.6                                   Baron   11.3        8.4     32.7   5.3   3.5                                   Merion  11.3        9.6     40.4   6.5   4.7                                   Merit   11.0        5.8     38.1   6.0   3.8                                   Newport 13.0        10.3    37.9   6.3   4.3                                   Victa   13.0        8.9     40.4   6.7   4.9                                   LSD(.05)                                                                               1.3         3.6     7.3    2.3   0.9                                   ______________________________________                                                        No. of Branches                                                                  Lowest  Third   No. of Florets                                          Variety                                                                               Whorl   Whorl   per Spikelet                                  ______________________________________                                                   Ba 61-91                                                                              4.5     3.0     4.3                                                     Baron  5.0     4.3     2.8                                                     Merion 3.7     2.7     4.7                                                     Merit  6.0     4.0     3.2                                                     Newport                                                                               4.3     4.0     4.6                                                     Victa  4.7     4.7     3.0                                                     LSD(.05)                                                                              0.7     1.2     0.7                                           ______________________________________                                    

As shown by the foregoing table, the morphological characteristics of Ba 61-91 afford a basis for distinguishing it from other varieties of Poa pratensis such as those listed in the table.

Mowed plots of Ba 61-91 have been evaluated under turf conditions in many different tests and at numerous locations. Turfgrass performance information presented indicates the distinctiveness of Ba 61-91 compared to other bluegrass varieties and its desirable characteristics which enable it to provide good performance as described below.

Disease resistance is a highly significant and desirable characteristic that is necessary to the maintenance of good quality turf. Ba 61-91 Kentucky bluegrass has been demonstrated to provide good resistance to many major types of turf diseases in varied geographical locations.

Comparisons of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrasses for resistance to red thread (Corticium spp.), Pythium blight (Pythium spp.), Fusarium blight (Fusarium roseum) which is also known as Fusarium patch, leaf spot (Helminthesporium spp) which is also known as melting out, and dollar spot (Sclerotinia homoeocarpia) diseases are presented in Table 2.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Disease ratings of BA 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties.                     ______________________________________                                         1983.                                                                                                           Disease                                                                        Ratings*                                                            Pythium    Fusarium                                                Red Thread  blight     blight                                        Variety   Blacksburg, VA                                                                             Urbana, IL Stillwater, OK                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91  6.7         9.0        8.3                                           A-34      5.7         6.3        7.7                                           Adelphi   6.0         8.3        8.3                                           America   6.7         6.3        9.0                                           Baron     6.3         9.0        8.8                                           Birka     6.0         5.7        8.7                                           Cheri     5.7         7.7        9.0                                           Eclipse   7.7         9.0        9.0                                           Enmundi   6.0         7.7        8.0                                           Fylking   6.0         8.3        7.7                                           Glade     5.3         5.7        8.7                                           Kenblue   4.0         3.7        8.7                                           Merion    6.0         9.0        8.7                                           Merit     7.3         9.0        8.3                                           Nassau    6.7         8.0        8.3                                           Parade    6.3         8.7        8.3                                           Ram I     6.7         6.3        8.5                                           S.D. Common                                                                              4.3         4.3        9.0                                           Sydsport  5.7         7.0        7.7                                           LSD (.05) 1.5         1.6        1.7                                           ______________________________________                                                   Disease                                                                        Ratings*              Dollar                                                   Fusarium   Melting Out                                                                               Spot 3                                                   patch                                                                Spring    Loca-                                                                Variety   Moscow, ID 3 Locations**                                                                             cations***                                                                            Mean                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91  8.0        6.4        6.8    7.53                                    A-34      5.7        4.8        6.9    6.18                                    Adelphi   8.3        6.3        7.1    7.38                                    America   6.0        5.4        6.8    6.70                                    Baron     5.3        6.3        6.7    7.07                                    Birka     5.3        6.3        6.6    6.43                                    Cheri     6.0        5.8        5.9    6.68                                    Eclipse   6.3        7.2        7.7    7.82                                    Enmundi   5.3        5.8        7.1    6.65                                    Fylking   6.7        6.0        7.1    6.97                                    Glade     8.7        5.9        6.9    6.87                                    Kenblue   5.3        2.8        7.2    5.28                                    Merion    7.7        6.4        6.9    7.45                                    Merit     7.3        6.4        6.1    7.40                                    Massau    6.7        7.3        6.8    7.30                                    Parade    7.0        5.4        7.0    7.12                                    Ram I     7.0        5.5        6.6    6.77                                    S.D. Common                                                                              7.0        2.9        7.6    5.85                                    Sydsport  3.0        6.0        5.7    5.85                                    LSD (.05) 3.2        0.8        1.0                                            ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 1-9, 9 = no disease                                             **North Brunswick, NJ; Beltsville, MD; Blacksburg, VA                          ***Newark, DE (irrigated and not irrigated); Urbana, IL                  

With continued reference to the disease resistance of Ba 61-91, Table 3 provides further comparative data for Ba 61-91 and other bluegrasses showing the high level of resistance of Ba 61-91 to leaf spot diseases based on information collected at various locations in the United States and at different times of the year.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Helminthosporium leafspot resistance of                          Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties.                                                 Leafspot Ratings*                                                                Spring    Summer    Fall   Mean                                     Variety    l3**      6**       2**    21**                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91   6.9 a-d   7.1 a-e   8.3 a  7.0 a-d                                  Baron      6.6 a-g   6.7 1-g   8.3 s  6.7 a-g                                  Cheri      6.7 a-e   6.8 a-f   8.7 a  6.8 a-f                                  Fylking    6.8 a-e   6.4 a-h   8.6 a  6.9 a-d                                  Glade      6.4 a-g   6.8 a-f   8.6    6.5 a-g                                  Kenblue    5.3 h     6.2 a-h   8.3 a  5.4 h                                    Merion     6.9 a-e   6.8 a-f   8.1 a  6.9 a-d                                  Merit      6.6 a-g   6.4 a-h   8.6 a  6.6 a-g                                  Parade     6.8 a-e   7.7 a     8.8 a  7.0 a-d                                  Park       5.5 g-h   6.4 a-h   8.4 a  5.5 h                                    Rugby      6.6 a-g   7.2 a-e   8.7    6.7 a-g                                  Touchdown  6.9 a-e   5.8 e-i   8.6 a  6.8 a-f                                  ______________________________________                                          Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different              according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (probability = 0.05).                Locations reporting leafspot resistance: Mt. Carmel, CT; Beltsville, MD;       Fairland, MD; and Blacksburg, VA.                                              *Ratings Scale: 1-9, 9 = no injury                                             **Number of readings                                                     

Comparisons of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrasses for resistance to stripe smut caused by the fungus Ustilago striiformis, Fusarium blight caused by the fungus Fusarium roseum, stem rust caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis, red thread caused by the fungus Corticium spp. and brown batch caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia spp. are presented in tables 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, respectively.

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of stripe smut resistance of Ba 61-91                               and other bluegrass varieties.                                                        Stripe Smut Ratings*                                                    Variety  New Brunswick, NJ                                                                            Fairland, MD Mean                                       ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91 8.3           6.3          7.3 a-h                                    Adelphi  8.7           8.3          8.5 a-b                                    Baron    6.0           5.3          5.7 h-j                                    Fylking  7.7           6.0          6.8 b-i                                    Glade    9.0           9.0          9.0 a                                      Kenblue  8.0           9.0          8.5 a-b                                    Merion   2.7           3.0          2.8 m                                      Parade   6.3           6.0          6.2 f-i                                    Park     8.7           9.0          8.8 a                                      Rugby    5.7           5.0          5.3 i-k                                    Windsor  3.0           6.0          4.5 j-l                                    ______________________________________                                          Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different              according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (probability = 0.05).                *Rating Scale: 1-9, 9 = no injury                                        

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of fusarium blight resistance of Ba 61-91                           and other bluegrass varieties.                                                             Fusarium Blight                                                                Ratings*                                                                   Mt.       New       Wye    Belts-                                              Carmel,   Brunswick,                                                                               Mills, ville,                                      Variety CT        NJ        MD     MD    Mean                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                               6.7       4.3       7.7    7.0   6.5 a-i                               Adelphi 8.0       9.0       6.3    8.5   8.1 a                                 Baron   7.0       6.0       7.3    5.7   6.3 a-i                               Delft   7.3       3.7       4.0    7.5   6.0 d-j                               Fylking 8.7       3.7       4.0    7.2   6.3 a-j                               Geronimo                                                                               7.0       3.7       4.3    7.2   5.9 e-j                               Glade   6.3       7.0       4.3    6.0   5.9 f-j                               Merion  7.0       6.0       5.7    8.2   7.0 a-i                               Nugget  6.3       5.0       3.5    6.2   5.8 f-j                               Sydsport                                                                               6.5       8.3       4.0    8.0   6.5 a-i                               Touchdown                                                                              7.0       7.0       6.0    5.5   6.0 d-j                               Vantage --        7.3       8.3    8.5   8.0 a-b                               ______________________________________                                          Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different              according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (probability = 0.05).                *Rating Scale: 1-9, 9 = no injury                                        

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of stem rust resistance of Ba 61-91 and other                       bluegrass varieties at Adelphia, New Jersey.                                   Variety        Stem Rust Ratings*                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91       7.1      5.2                                                    Adelphi        6.9      7.1                                                    America        6.9      7.4                                                    Baron          7.0      6.4                                                    Birka          5.6      3.5                                                    Bonnieblue     7.0      5.4                                                    Bristol        7.7      7.7                                                    Eclipse        7.0      4.7                                                    Merion         3.6      2.4                                                    Merit          7.0      5.7                                                    Nassau         7.0      6.8                                                    Ram I          7.3      7.0                                                    Touchdown      5.7      3.5                                                    Vantage        5.9      6.2                                                    LSD 5%         1.0      0.9                                                    ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 9 = no disease, 0 = turf killed                           

                  TABLE 7                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of red thread resistance of Ba 61-91 and other                      bluegrass varieties at Newport News, Virginia.                                 Variety          Red Thread Ratings*                                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91         5.7 a-f                                                       Adelphi          7.3 a                                                         Baron            3.7 e-i                                                       Bonnieblue       6.3 a-d                                                       Cheri            5.0 a-g                                                       Glade            3.3 f-i                                                       Kenblue          2.7 h-i                                                       Nugget           4.0 d-i                                                       Park             4.0 d-i                                                       Sydsport         5.0 a-g                                                       Touchdown        5.7 a-f                                                       ______________________________________                                          Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different              according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (probability = 0.05).                *Rating Scale: 1-9, 9 = no injury                                        

                  TABLE 8                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of rhizoctonia brown patch resistance of Ba 61-91 and               other bluegrass varieties at West Lafayette, Indiana.                          Variety     Brown Patch Ratings**                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91    9.2                                                                Adelphi     8.2                                                                America     6.0                                                                Baron       6.8                                                                Birka       7.2                                                                Bristol     6.2                                                                Cheri       7.3                                                                Columbia    7.8                                                                Enmundi     8.0                                                                Fylking     3.2                                                                Kenblue     8.8                                                                Merion      9.2                                                                Merit       9.0                                                                Parade      7.5                                                                Scenic      8.2                                                                Sydsport    3.7                                                                Vantage     8.0                                                                ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 1-10, 10 = no damage                                      

Drought tolerance is a characteristic that allows the plant to perform well and survive long periods of stress under hot, dry conditions. Ba 61-91 has demonstrated good levels of drought tolerance at various locations in the United States as will be seen from the tabulated comparative test results in Table 9.

                  TABLE 9                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of drought tolerance of                                             Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties.                                        Drought Tolerance Ratings*                                                            Belts-  Wye                                                                    ville,  Mills,  Burlingham,                                                                              Blacksburg,                                   Variety                                                                               MD      MD      VT        Va      Mean                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                              4.3     6.0     5.5       3.7     4.8 a-c                               Adelphi                                                                               5.0     5.0     5.7       3.5     4.7 a-e                               Baron  5.7     5.7     4.2       3.5     4.4 a-j                               Cheri  3.7     4.7     5.5       3.7     4.4 a-j                               Fylking                                                                               4.3     2.0     4.0       2.8     3.3 j-o                               Glade  4.0     3.3     3.8       3.2     3.6 f-o                               Merion 4.3     6.0     6.3       4.2     5.2 a                                 Nugget 3.3     2.7     3.3       3.5     3.3 k-o                               Parade 4.0     4.7     3.5       3.0     3.6 f-o                               Park   3.0     3.7     2.8       4.3     3.5 g-o                               Sydsport                                                                              4.3     4.3     5.2       3.5     4.3 a-k                               Vantage                                                                               5.7     6.7     5.7       3.8     5.2 a                                 ______________________________________                                          Means followed by the same letter are no significantly different accordin      to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (p = 0.05).                                    *Rating Scale: 1-9, 9 = no injury                                        

The color of Ba 61-91 turf is a desirable dark green color and is shown in comparison to other varieties in Table 10.

                  TABLE 10                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of turf color of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass                       ______________________________________                                         varieties.                                                                     Turf Color Ratings*                                                                                  Fayetteville,                                                                              Flagstaff,                                   Variety Fayetteville, AR (1)                                                                         AR (2)      AZ                                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                               6.7           8.0         --                                           A-34    4.7           5.0         5.3                                          Adelphi 6.0           6.3         6.0                                          Baron   7.0           8.0         6.3                                          Birka   6.0           7.0         5.7                                          Cheri   6.3           7.7         7.3                                          Eclipse 6.0           6.7         --                                           Enmundi 7.7           7.7         6.7                                          Fylking 6.3           6.7         5.3                                          Glade   7.7           7.7         6.3                                          Kenblue 4.7           4.3         5.7                                          Merion  4.7           4.0         6.7                                          Merit   7.0           7.3         6.7                                          Parade  4.3           4.0         5.3                                          Sydsport                                                                               6.3           7.3         6.7                                          LSD (.05)                                                                              1.4           1.4         1.5                                          ______________________________________                                         Turf Color Ratings*                                                                    Agassiz,                                                               Variety British Columbia                                                                            Moscow, ID  Fairland, MD                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                               6.5          6.0         8.7                                           A-34    6.0          5.0         8.3                                           Adelphi 6.3          6.0         8.3                                           Baron   6.3          5.7         8.0                                           Birka   6.0          5.0         8.0                                           Cheri   6.0          5.7         8.0                                           Eclipse 6.3          5.7         8.3                                           Enmundi 6.3          6.0         8.0                                           Fylking 6.3          4.7         8.0                                           Glade   7.0          6.3         8.7                                           Kenblue 6.0          3.7         8.0                                           Merion  5.7          5.0         8.0                                           Merit   6.7          6.7         8.0                                           Parade  6.0          5.3         8.0                                           Sydsport                                                                               5.7          5.7         8.3                                           LSD (.05)                                                                              0.8          1.2         0.6                                           ______________________________________                                                             Turf Color Ratings*                                                       Variety                                                                               Pullman, WA                                                                               Mean                                          ______________________________________                                                        Ba 61-91                                                                              8.0        7.4                                                          A-34   8.0        6.0                                                          Adelphi                                                                               8.0        6.7                                                          Baron  8.3        7.1                                                          Birka  7.7        6.5                                                          Cheri  8.7        7.1                                                          Eclipse                                                                               8.3        6.9                                                          Enmundi                                                                               8.0        7.2                                                          Fylking                                                                               7.3        6.4                                                          Glade  7.3        7.3                                                          Kenblue                                                                               7.7        5.7                                                          Merion 8.0        6.0                                                          Merit  8.3        7.2                                                          Parade 7.3        5.8                                                          Sydsport                                                                              8.0        6.9                                                          LSD (.05)                                                                             0.8        0.4                                           ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 19, 9 = dark green                                              (1) High fertility test                                                        (2) Low fertility test                                                   

The various turfgrass characteristics described above are all taken into account in determining a turf quality rating. Great significance is attached to this rating because it is indicative of the general appearance, uniformity, and aesthetic value of a turf. Also, as all of the performance characteristics of the grass are taken into consideration, a good turf quality rating is an indication that the grass is free of disease and has good color, density and an acceptable texture. The turf quality ratings of Ba 61-91 from various times and locations in the United States are shown in Tables 11, 12 and 13 in comparison to several other varieties. Ba 61-91 produces a high quality turf at numerous locations in the United States. This, along with its high resistance to the major turf diseases as noted above, demonstrates the broad genetic adaptability of this grass.

                  TABLE 11                                                         ______________________________________                                         Turf quality of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties.                        ______________________________________                                                     Turf Quality                                                                   Ratings*                                                                                      Missis-      North                                                    Experi-  sippi        Bruns-                                           Agassiz,                                                                               ment,    state, Mead, wick,                                  Variety   B.C.    GA       MS     NE    NJ                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91  5.9     5.2      4.9    5.8   6.5                                    Adelphi   5.5     4.2      3.9    5.5   6.2                                    Baron     5.8     4.7      4.5    5.5   6.1                                    Birka     6.0     4.9      4.4    5.7   5.6                                    Cheri     5.7     4.4      4.7    5.3   5.7                                    Eclipse   5.6     5.1      4.6    5.2   7.4                                    Fylking   4.7     3.2      4.7    5.3   5.9                                    Glade     5.8     4.9      3.9    5.7   6.7                                    Kenblue   3.8     4.1      4.8    3.3   3.6                                    Merion    5.7     4.0      4.9    4.7   5.9                                    Merit     6.1     4.7      4.6    5.7   6.6                                    Parade    5.3     4.8      4.9    5.2   5.5                                    Ram I     5.5     3.3      4.4    5.3   6.1                                    S.D. Common                                                                              2.7     3.7      5.1    3.5   3.0                                    Sydsport  6.0     4.7      4.8    5.3   5.5                                    Touchdown 5.1     4.3      4.8    4.7   6.5                                    Vantage   4.4     1.0      4.3    5.0   3.5                                    LSD (.05) 0.6     1.3      0.9    0.8   0.9                                    ______________________________________                                                     Turf Quality                                                                   Rating*                                                                      King-   Belts-   Blacks-                                                                               Black-                                                                               Black-                                           ston,   ville,   burg,  stone,                                                                               burg,                                  Variety   RI      MD       VA     VA    VA                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91  5.9     6.6      5.2    5.5   5.6                                    Adelphi   5.2     5.9      5.3    4.9   5.5                                    Baron     4.9     5.3      4.9    5.3   5.1                                    Birka     5.4     5.2      4.3    4.6   5.3                                    Cheri     5.2     5.1      5.1    5.1   5.0                                    Eclipse   5.8     5.9      5.8    6.2   5.1                                    Fylking   4.6     4.9      4.0    4.7   4.4                                    Glade     5.1     5.3      4.8    4.6   4.8                                    Kenblue   4.2     4.9      3.9    4.2   3.8                                    Merion    5.7     5.3      5.0    4.3   4.3                                    Merit     5.3     6.1      5.2    5.1   5.6                                    Parade    5.4     5.0      4.6    4.4   4.7                                    Ram I     5.3     4.6      4.4    4.8   4.4                                    S.D. Common                                                                              4.6     5.0      4.1    4.2   3.7                                    Sydsport  5.8     5.8      4.7    5.3   4.8                                    Touchdown 4.9     5.8      4.5    4.8   4.3                                    Vantage   5.1     5.5      4.6    3.8   4.5                                    LSD (.05) 0.9     0.8      0.7    0.8   0.9                                    ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 19,9 = ideal turf                                         

                  TABLE 12                                                         ______________________________________                                         Mean turfgrass quality at thirty-two locations in National Bluegrass           Evaluation Test of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties.                     Variety     Mean Turfgrass Quality Ratings*                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91    5.3                                                                Adelphi     5.2                                                                America     5.1                                                                Baron       5.2                                                                Birka       5.2                                                                Cheri       5.2                                                                Fylking     4.9                                                                Glade       5.3                                                                Kenblue     4.2                                                                Merion      5.1                                                                Merit       5.3                                                                Nugget      4.8                                                                Parade      5.1                                                                Ram I       5.2                                                                S.D. Common 4.2                                                                Sydsport    5.2                                                                Touchdown   5.1                                                                Vantage     4.6                                                                Wabash      4.9                                                                LSD (.05)   .16                                                                ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 19, 9 = ideal turf                                        

                  TABLE 13                                                         ______________________________________                                          Mean turf quality of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties.                  ______________________________________                                         Mean Turf Quality Ratings*                                                                     New                                                                   Mt.      Bruns-  Kings-                                                                               Fair- Wye   Burling-                                    Carmel,  wick,   ton,  land, Mills,                                                                               ham,                                 Variety                                                                               CT       NJ      RI    MD    MD    VI                                   ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                              5.4      5.6     6.5   6.1   6.4   7.6                                  Adelphi                                                                               5.5      6.6     6.6   6.8   6.2   7.3                                  Baron  5.5      5.4     6.6   6.1   6.1   7.3                                  Bonnie-                                                                               5.4      6.6     6.0   6.1   3.8   7.2                                  blue                                                                           Fylking                                                                               5.7      5.5     6.4   6.2   3.6   7.0                                  Glade  5.8      6.6     6.2   6.1   5.1   7.0                                  Kenblue                                                                               5.7      3.2     5.0   5.5   5.3   6.1                                  Merion 5.3      5.8     6.6   5.8   5.6   8.0                                  Parade 5.7      6.4     6.5   6.5   6.3   6.9                                  Park   5.8      2.9     5.3   5.4   4.9   5.5                                  Vantage                                                                               5.7      5.6     6.1   6.5   6.2   7.3                                  ______________________________________                                         Mean Turf Quality Ratings*                                                                     Blacks- Newport                                                                               Belts-                                                                               Belts-                                            Ithaca, burg,   News,  ville,                                                                               ville,                                    Variety NY      VA      VA     MD(1) MD(2) Mean                                ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                               6.7     5.6     4.1    6.7   6.0                                       Adelphi 6.3     5.9     5.4    6.8   6.3   6.5 a-c                             Baron   6.4     5.3     5.1    6.0   6.4   6.1 g-r                             Bonnieblue                                                                             6.2     5.6     5.6    6.4   6.0   5.9 k-p                             Fylking 6.6     4.9     4.4    6.4   5.4   5.8 n-o                             Glade   6.4     5.3     5.4    6.2   5.7   6.0 i-n                             Kenblue 5.4     5.4     5.1    5.2   4.6   5.1 t-u                             Merion  6.6     5.5     6.3    6.7   5.9   6.2 e-k                             Parade  6.3     4.8     3.5    6.7   6.0   6.2 e-k                             Park    5.4     5.0     4.9    5.2   4.8   5.1 t-u                             Vantage 7.1     5.5     5.9    6.4   5.9   6.2 f-i                             ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale: 1-9, 9 = ideal turf                                             Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different              according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (p = 0.05).                          (1) Moderate maintenance                                                       (2) Low maintenance                                                      

Two additional characteristics of Ba 61-91 make this grass economically signficant. Table 14 indicates the high sod strength of Ba 61-91 in comparison to other varieties of bluegrass. High sod strength is required in the cutting, removal and installation of sod to increase the efficiency of these operations. Table 15 indicates the high seed yield capacity of Ba 61-91 in comparison to Victa and Merit which are known to be high seed yielding varieties, and to Vantage and Windsor which are known to have significantly lower seed yielding capacity. High seed yielding capacity is required for economical seed production. Table 15 also indicates heading and anthesis dates of Ba 61-91 in comparison to other varieties. These two characteristics, in addition to the morphological characteristics noted in Table 1 and seed size and count per pound in Table 16, afford further bases for distinguishing Ba 61-91 from other varieties of Kentucky bluegrass.

                  TABLE 14                                                         ______________________________________                                         Sod strength of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties at                      Blacksburg, Virginia.                                                          Variety     Sod Strength Ratings*                                              ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91    5.3 a-h                                                            Adelphi     3.7 c-j                                                            Baron       3.7 c-j                                                            Enmundi     5.3 a-h                                                            Glade       5.0 a-i                                                            Kenblue     1.3 i-j                                                            Merion      1.7 h-j                                                            Parade      4.0 b-j                                                            Park        1.0 j                                                              Sodco       3.3 d-j                                                            Sydsport    4.0 b-j                                                            Vantage     1.7 h-j                                                            ______________________________________                                          Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different              according to Duncan's Multiple Range Test (probability = 0.05).                *Rating Scale: 9 = maximum sod strength                                  

                  TABLE 15                                                         ______________________________________                                         Heading and anthesis date, seed yield per plant, and bushel weight             of Ba 61-91 and other bluegrass varieties at Salem, Oregon.                    ______________________________________                                         Heading Date        Anthesis Date                                              1%            50%       1%        50%                                                 Year    Year   Year Year Year Year Year Year                            Variety                                                                               1       2      1    2    1    2    1    2                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91                                                                              5/1     4/30   5/6  5/8  5/28 5/22 5/31 5/23                            Merit  --      5/3    --   5/9  --   5/21 --   5/23                            Vantage                                                                               4/12    4/21   4/22  4/24                                                                               5/17 5/19 5/24 5/20                            Victa  5/3     5/8    5/6   5/12                                                                               5/24 5/21 5/27 5/23                            Windsor                                                                               4/19    4/23   4/29 5/7  5/22 5/19 5/27 5/23                            ______________________________________                                                Seed Yield        Bushel Wt.                                                   per Plant (gm)    (lb./bu.)                                             Variety  Year 1   Year 2    Year 3 Year 3                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91 16       38.6      42.5   25.5                                        Merit    --       --        61.1   25.5                                        Vantage   8       11.4       4.8   18.5                                        Victa    38       57.6      45.4   25.0                                        Windsor  11        5.1       2.7   27.5                                        ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 16                                                         ______________________________________                                         Seed length and number of seeds per pound of Ba 61-91 and other                bluegrass varieties.                                                                         Seed Length                                                                               No. Seeds                                             Variety       (mm)       per Pound                                             ______________________________________                                         Ba 61-91      2.85       1,075,331                                             Baron         2.72       1,181,474                                             Fylking       2.99       1,091,716                                             Kenblue       2.26       2,297,030                                             Merion        2.43       1,968,636                                             Newport       2.76       1,244,559                                             Nugget        3.31         873,942                                             Park          2.91       1,311,452                                             Sydsport      2.46       1,964,088                                             Vantage       2.51       1,555,848                                             Victa         2.95       1,053,867                                             Windsor       2.34       1,955,323                                             ______________________________________                                     

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A variety of Kentucky bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized particularly by a high level of resistance to diseases, a desirable dark green color throughout the growing season, a high quality and persistent turf under a wide range of environmental conditions and a high seed yielding capacity. 